The flow of air immediately adjacent the surface of an aircraft nacelle may be referred to as boundary layer airflow. The manner in which boundary layer air flows over the surface of an aircraft nacelle may impact the operational efficiency of the aircraft. For example, if boundary layer airflow is not laminar, but turbulent (eddying about within the boundary layer), the operational efficiency of the aircraft may decrease in response to the drag produced by the turbulent flow (e.g., frictional drag against the outer surface of the aircraft nacelle). In contrast, if the flow over the nacelle is laminar, the operational efficiency of the aircraft may be expected to increase, because air in the boundary layer flows smoothly over the nacelle, reducing drag.